Food book of the week: Keys to the Kitchen by Aida Mollenkamp

What’s cooking? This chunky manual is aimed at what the author calls the ‘lost generation’ of cooks. They’re the ones whose experience of domestic science at school consisted of designing pizzas on computer screens and who probably considered themselves lucky that traditional cookery lessons had long been dropped from the curriculum. They’re the ones who today rely on ready meals and takeaways.

Aida Mollenkamp, an American home economist and Food Network presenter, is on a crusade to rescue these poor unfortunates from their fear of frying (and everything else in the kitchen) and give them the knowledge and confidence to become successful cooks. And she makes an impressive job of it, with detailed, clear and simple advice on shopping for food, storing it, ingredients, prepping techniques, equipment, and so on. Why we love it. There something of the drill sergeant about Aida Mollenkamp, who talks of ‘conquering’ the kitchen and making a ‘plan of attack’. And there are some minor irritations in the book, notably her loyalty to using kosher salt (a larger-grained salt used in the preparation of kosher food, not salt which is kosher – don’t worry, she does allow ‘regular’ salt as an alternative).

But her analysis of a generation ill-equipped for the kitchen and all the benefits which home cooking brings – financially, environmentally and in terms of taste and wellbeing – is surely right. Crucially, her book includes over 300 recipes, mostly rated easy to medium in terms of difficulty, enabling readers to put theory into practice (try the simple gingered parsnips, below, this Christmas). Anyone who takes the time to follow her advice will be repaid many times over. (Chronicle Books, £22.99)

Gingered parsnips with toasted almonds

Serves 4-6

900g parsnips, trimmed and cut into 1in/2.5cm pieces

60ml maple syrup

2 tbsp canola, grapeseed, or groundnut oil

6 garlic cloves, smashed

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp unsalted butter

½ in/1cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 tbsp sliced almonds, toasted (see below)

Heat the oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8 and arrange a rack in the upper third.

Combine the parsnips, syrup, oil, and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat thoroughly.

Roast, turning occasionally, until fork-tender, about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven, season to taste with salt and pepper, add butter and ginger, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve.

To toast the almonds, heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and spread them evenly on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring once or twice, until browned, around 8-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

TIPS• Swap carrots or other root vegetables such as turnips or swede for the parsnips.• Add a few sprigs of rosemary, thyme, or sage for another layer of flavour.• Don’t buy thick parsnips as they’ll have a starchier flavour.